HTC announced the One M9 several weeks ago

HTC announced the One M9 several weeks ago, and the response has been tepid from most corners of the Internet. Samsung is getting much more attention for the big changes it’s making to the Galaxy S6 this year. HTC needed an angle to get people excited about the M9 again, and now it might have one: HTC Uh-Oh Protection will offer one free phone replacement within the first year, no questions asked. Is it a little desperate? Maybe, but it’s also potentially awesome if you’ve got a bad case of butter fingers.

Let’s imagine you have a Samsung Galaxy S6 and break the screen. You just made a multi-hundred dollar mistake, unless you’re paying monthly for phone insurance (which has its own drawbacks). With the One M9, you can give HTC support a ring, and a new phone will be dispatched with overnight shipping to replace your busted one. You send the old one back after you get it. This requires a $299 hold on your credit card, but you don’t have to go without a phone.

It doesn’t matter why you need the replacement — cracks, water damage, phone sawed in half for fun, and anything else that might come up. Even iPhone owners who buy AppleCare+ have to pay a little bit to get a cracked screen replaced.

Free replacements are the selling point for HTC, but Uh-Oh Protection has some other facets that are actually much more clever. For example, you can take advantage of Uh-Oh Protection if you decide to switch carriers, too. So you can swap a Verizon M9 for the AT&T model, thus saving you from buying a new phone. HTC knows if you’re changing carriers, there’s a chance you won’t buy another M9, so Uh-Oh helps protect HTC’s market share.



HTC also knows most people don’t break their phones within the first year. That’s why this program comes with one other feature that only kicks in after the year is up. If you don’t get a replacement, HTC will give you $100 toward the purchase of your next One phone. This is really smart, because if you don’t buy another HTC phone next time, you’re basically throwing away $100. Again, good for HTC’s market share.

No other Android OEM has bonus features that are quite this compelling. Samsung offers a dozen premium subscriptions to services you probably won’t use, while LG has been known to give away spare batteries to G3 buyers. At the same time, it’s starting to look like HTC doesn’t have anyplace else to go. The company has been making great phones, but it can’t seem to stand out from high-end competitors like Samsung. And the rise of budget OEMs like Huawei and Xaiomi could only worsen the situation.

So what does HTC really have left to lose? Maybe it gives away some phones, but it gains goodwill, which is what it really needs right now. Uh-Oh Protection makes a modest phone upgrade like the M9 feel more substantial. Maybe it’s desperation, but it’s still great for consumers.